You Chose Love in the End
by PearlM21
Summary: A look into the mind of the overlooked character that is Madam Red's husband. Poor guy doesn't even get a first name or a clear face.


I own nothing except for my own ideas.

A look into the mind of the overlooked character that is Madam Red's husband. Poor guy doesn't even get a first name or a clear face.

You Chose Love in the End

The first time I laid eyes on her I knew she was special. Her beauty, her charisma, and her eye catching red gowns captivated everyone when she entered a room. Angelina: What a fitting name for someone so beautiful.

I may have been my parents' only child and would inherit a noble title, but I was still always a little shy and unsure of myself. I know it may seem ungrateful for a person fortunate enough to be born into such a circumstance to complain about my life, but there is a lot of pressure placed on a person in my position. From a young age, I was made full aware of what would be expected of me, especially being the only child of my parents due to their conception troubles. It was more than a little intimidating. This never fully went away. Here was this lovely and confident woman, who could have any suitor she chose, and I had to push my way through the pack to get to her.

I eventually got up the courage and asked her to dance at a party. She smiled gently and obliged me. I'll never forget it. No one else in the room mattered but the two of us: the music an accompaniment just for us. I noticed she was a lot calmer around me than when she would dance with many of the other men I saw her with. Maybe she picked up on the fact that unlike many of the others here, I did not have any immoral intentions. Yes, I've heard quite a few inappropriate comments made about her during conversations over a few too many drinks.

I could also be making myself more of a hero in this story. She could have very well just picked up on how nervous I was. Regardless of her first impressions of me, we were fortunate enough to meet up again at several more parties and functions. Spending more and more time together each time, we began to learn more about each other. She had the most fascinating mind. She may have kept her position in noble society, but some people were still put off by the fact that she was in fact one of the first female doctors in England. This never bothered me. I felt quite proud of her actually.

Soon one thing led to another and I soon asked her to marry me. She gave a somewhat unusual answer, stating how there was someone else she could never forget. I told her I did not mind. The human heart is a complicated thing. We make relationships with so many people. As long as I could be with her, nothing else mattered to me. We got married quite soon after that.

Our parents all passed away not long after, and it understandably took an emotional toll on us. We became all the more determined to start our own family. I just knew she would make the most wonderful mother. She of course in turn told me how I would make a wonderful father as well. I think she surpassed me in some areas, though. The more time I spent with her, the more I got to see the many layers of her personality. I loved all of her, but more than her eccentricities, her wit, and even her intelligence, I loved her kindness. I loved the sweet way she played with her nephew and his cousin. I loved how she comforted children who were scared and in pain at the hospital, while expertly treating them. I loved her drive to use her gift of intelligence to help people, and how gentle she was when she was doing it. It made no difference who the person was or where they came from. She'd help them all the same. Plus there is the fact that having someone to treat injuries around being very helpful. I do tend to be a little accident prone. I did also very much enjoy all the extra attention I would receive.

After what seemed like an eternity of trying (along with some more "accidents" to help things get going), we soon received the most wonderful news. After a few weeks of Angelina feeling lightheaded and nauseous (that's not the wonderful part), we found out she was pregnant! I couldn't have been happier. All the things I loved about her came out even more. Her gentle nature and sweet smile shown through more strongly than ever. I think by this point she picked up the fact that I loved her true nature, and that it was not something she had to hide from me.

We made so many preparations together: a baby's room, clothes, names, but the most exciting part was when we were able to feel our baby move for the first time. There's nothing else like it. We made that precious little creature in there, and we loved him or her so much already. The bigger she got, the harder it was for us to cuddle, so I'd rest my head on her lap as she stayed in her favorite rocking chair and feel the baby. I quite enjoyed it actually; her motherly nature showing as she would gently stroke her hand through my hair. Everything was going like a dream: then that day came.

We were on the way from an outing at the hospital in preparation for the baby's arrival, when there was a problem with the wheel of the carriage we were in. We were then forced to exit and walk for a while until another came. It happened so fast. We heard the screeching and the horses, then turned to see an out of control carriage heading right for us. I tried to push her out of the way, but it was too close. Then the impact happened. All my senses were accentuated then muted. I heard Angelina scream, and then I just felt so much pain. It was so intense it soon started to feel like it was someone else. The sounds all around me seemed so distant. I looked to my side to see Angelina unconscious and bleeding in several places, including her stomach. Oh God. This couldn't be happening. I wish I could do something, but I could feel my energy draining. I just felt so tired. I still soon had the horrifying feeling of blood coming up my throat. I knew this was it. They say sometimes you just know, well I knew. I then looked up to see a man standing over me with some sort of sharp weapon, but most importantly, he had the strangest eyes.

He lowered his weapon to me, and I then had the most peculiar sensation of my life flashing before my eyes that you sometimes hear about from people with near death experiences. I thought that was just a story, but apparently that's how it goes. I saw everything up until the accident, then that was it. I felt myself being sent off somewhere, and had the strangest sensation of flying. I did feel very peaceful at that moment, so that was good at least.

Once I woke up though, things got more complicated. Adjusting to the afterlife and all its apparent bureaucracy was no easy task. The intricacies of the afterlife are much too complicated to get into. I'm just grateful I only have minor transgressions to atone for and don't have to work my way up the system like others do.

Putting all that aside, the realization of being able to see and feel things differently, including things in the living world hit me. If I couldn't be with Angelina, I could at least watch over her and protect her like a little guardian angel husband. There were a lot of mixed emotions when our son joined me in watching over Angelina. I loved being with him, but I would have much rather he lived a long happy life. How unfair. His life ended before it even started. And what of Angelina? I hated seeing her like that. I could feel the physical and emotional pain she was in. All her spark was just drained from her face and she just stared into nothingness when the doctors gave her updates on her condition. I could feel how her heart sank when it was revealed of what the fate of myself and our son were. What a cruel world we live in. She didn't deserve this.

I was infinitely grateful to her sister, Rachel. She visited her every day and tried so hard to get her to smile again. We were both very pleased when it started working. I could feel how wonderful it felt for her to laugh again after not doing so for so long. I'd pray for both of them to have a long, healthy life every day. It didn't seem to do anything to deter the ominous future in store for this family, however.

Angelina was eventually released from the hospital. She then went to attend her nephew, Ciel's birthday party. What a horrific sight. The entire mansion was engulfed in flames and Rachel and her husband were brutally murdered. Above all else, Ciel was missing altogether.

I can't even imagine the cruelty in this world sometimes. I could feel Angelina breaking. She couldn't take much more. I could feel it. I also learned the identity of the man she could never forget was. To think, it was someone close to her all along and who was married to her sister no less. She had so many mixed emotions inside of her. What a horrible thing to feel. I also felt some things I didn't particularly like: jealousy, anger, and resentment. Everyone has flaws, and feelings like that will always be there, but they began to be much more pronounced. In all honesty, I could not judge her for it. She'd been through so much. No one should have to go through all the tragedy she has.

I watched her throw herself into her work. That's all she did. It was all to keep her mind off of all the pain she was feeling. Then the day came where a prostitute went to have a certain procedure. Now Angelina had treated people from all walks of life, including prostitutes and it never mattered to her, but this time, it was different. When the woman was explaining her reasoning for wanting the procedure, I could see Angelina's voice taking a tone darker than I've ever heard before.

I began to worry, for many reasons. Oh Angelina. You're not actually going to go through with this operation are you? I could feel her not wanting to do it with every fiber of her being, but knowing that she was the only doctor there at the moment and would not be allowed to refuse a patient.

When she actually performed the procedure, it was like watching someone else entirely. She must have been dissociating herself from the situation. I could feel a major change coming in her as she was cleaning up afterwards. I can't describe what I felt. It simply scared me. Where was my darling Angelina? Her eyes seemed so vacant.

I watched her do it. I watched the woman I love cross a line no one ever should. My God. Angelina. What have you done? It broke my heart. Then I watched her do it again and again, each time getting more violent. She began almost look forward to performing that vile procedure in order to seek revenge on her patients.

I watched her get worse and worse, until a particularly brutal murder where she was completely covered in her victim's blood and holding the woman's uterus in her hand. That's when he came: a grim reaper. I knew what they were by this point, and they were not supposed to do this. There she was covered in blood with that vacant stare and he jumped off the roof and offered to assist her. All I could think was,"This is not good". I knew that this was not good. Things were only going to go downhill from here. I could feel it.

I was wrong on some accounts with my original feelings. Although having the assistance of a grim reaper did bring many not so good things, it did have some benefits. He kept her safe. I could see Grell was very strong and capable, more so than a lot of other reapers. He would also be able to keep her from getting arrested. Also surprisingly, he also gave her companionship, and despite his obvious flaws, I was grateful to him for that. They wielded a complicated relationship, especially since he clearly preferred men, but somehow their relationship worked. They became friends, sisters, and lovers all at the same time. It was a very odd thing to witness, but it was very special. They had a lot of connections on a deep level.

It wasn't all sunshine and roses between them however. It wasn't that seeing Angelina with someone else bothered me (alright. Maybe it bothered me just a little), but regardless I would have loved for her to find someone who loved and cherished her, especially in despite of the fact that she could no longer have children as some people can be especially cruel regarding that. It was just that, this grim reaper was unpredictable. I was scared for her safety. Anything could set him off. Things would be calm for a long time, then a little thing would set him on edge and he would lose his temper. With Grell being a strong, supernatural being there was quite an obvious power difference between them. I've never seen someone go from being so happy to a complete rage so quickly.

Then there was the issue of their more "intimate" affairs. I was well aware of Angelina's more, ahh-hem, adventurous tastes so to speak (and I'll admit it. I was a little bit of a scardy cat), but Grell seemed to relish in this kind of risky, intimate behavior. If it were someone more stable, I'd be happy for her needs to be satisfied, but he was simply too unpredictable. He'd sometimes take things farther than she wanted and ended up hurting her. Even though it was never anything too severe fortunately, the thought of anyone harming her at all infuriated me. I could feel her get scared when she knew he was getting too wild. Thankfully, this wasn't a regular occurrence.

As if there wasn't enough to reek havoc on her emotions, her presumed dead nephew Ciel suddenly returned. That poor child. I could see how trauma has changed him in his eyes, even more so than Angelina. What horrors he must have witnessed. Even more alarming than that unpredictable reaper, was that thing that came back with Ciel. I could feel what he really is. I remember the sinking feeling when the realization of the nature of the relationship between him and the child was. They pray after children too? What a nightmare. Please Angelina, stay away from that thing! All these people around him don't know that he's actually a monster.

Aside from the alarming fact that there was a demon around, it was wonderful to see some life be brought into Angelina again. She loved Ciel so much. I could feel it. I knew Ciel felt the same way, even if he could no longer express it like he used to.

The happy days between them didn't last for long however. The day came when Angelina and Grell's actions caught up with them. She was caught by her own nephew and his demon butler. They both revealed themselves with that blank, lifeless stare that comes from committing such horrible acts. Grell revealed his true nature and a supernatural battle began, which I must admit, was quite a sight.

The real battle of interest was however between Ciel and Angelina. The poor child was horrified and heartbroken that his own aunt was behind this. Then my heart completely sank with what she was trying to do. She lunged at him with a knife. She actually cut him! Oh God Angelina. Please stop! She now has him by the throat. She's about to do it. Then she stops. Oh thank God. She stopped herself. My horror soon resurfaces as the demonic presence behind her goes for the kill for going after his meal. Ciel screams for him to not kill her. He obeys his master and Grell injures him with his death scythe. I am once again grateful for his presence. If he wasn't distracting the demon, he likely would have killed her already.

I can feel so many emotions coming to the surface in my wife. This is the Angelina I know. She tearfully states how she loved both his parents and how she can't kill their precious child. I'm getting nervous again. I can see Grell getting angry. I have long gotten the feeling that he was almost jealous of Angelina's love for her nephew. I'm guessing it's from some lack of love in his own life. He tells her not to worry because a grim reaper is helping her and that if she doesn't end him, he'll end her. I have a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach that this is not going to end well. He spent all that time acting like a fallen angel on her shoulder and trained her to be his perfect little killer. She still refuses and says "But this child is my" , then I lose my breath. What I have feared all along has now happened. I feel her pain and fear as his weapon brutally goes right through her, and watch as he throws aside his former lover like she's meaningless. You monster. How can you be so cruel? You betrayed your own partner.

I watch as Ciel helplessly watches her body fall to the ground. That poor child has been through enough. I watch everything come full circle. Her record plays. Then it is all over. As if he hasn't done enough already, he had the nerve to disrespect her body and steal her coat as some sort of trophy.

Strangely enough though, I see as he takes care of her soul. I guess that means there is some shred of attachment to her left as well as some respect left for his sacred job.

Angelina takes off and I watch as Grell almost gets his comeuppance. He got very lucky. If I've learned anything from being in the afterlife however, is that there's no getting away with anything. I can't bring myself to resent him completely however. I know the origin of the reapers, and although that is not in any way an excuse, neither is what happened to Angelina. I know that there is someone you love watching down on this heartbroken but is still wising the best for you. I'll pray for love and mercy for you, just as I would want others to do for Angelina. I'm sure you've had terrible things happen to you as well. I know you're broken, just like Ciel, and just like my Angelina and so many others.

As for you Angelina, my love, I'll be seeing you soon. I don't know what it means for your soul that you weren't scheduled to die, but please know that whatever happens, I'll still be there for you. I can't say I'm not upset with you, but I still love you. Nothing will ever change that. You're going to have to face your sister in how you hurt Ciel. You are going to have to answer for all this and make amends. However, today I saw the real you shine through. You were in your violent, altered state, but you broke out of it because you love Ciel. You chose love in the end, and that counts for a lot. I can feel the peace in you now. Our son and I are waiting for you, and we love you no matter what.

Notes

My first ever fanfiction. Please be nice, but constructive criticism and suggestions are welcomed. Also please let me know if you think the rating I gave it was correct. I put Madam Red and Grell in the character tags even though it is not from either of their perspective since they are most of the focus of the story.

Just wanted to make it clear that by the time the events at the end of the story are happening, they are happening in real time; so present tense. I hope I conveyed that well, and I didn't confuse anyone with the change in tense. I'm probably over thinking it, though.

The only mention of this character is through mention by Madam Red. She described him as someone who was noble and treated her kindly, so I just took that information and built upon it. I also just assumed Madam Red's and Rachel's parents are deceased, since not only does Ciel never mention his maternal grandparents, but part of the difficulties Madam Red was having was because she was all alone. There is also the fact that we have never seen them in present day. As for her husband, his father at least had to have passed away since he had his title. I made his mother deceased too to just make it even for both of them in that respect.


End file.
